Do Lecture Pace, Detail, and Segmentation Affect Students' Comprehension of and Memory for a PowerPoint-Assisted Lecture?

Abstract

Research on the PowerPoint's efficacy as an aid to lectures is rarely guided by cognitive theory. However, Mayer's cognitive theory of multimedia learning is well-suited to guide the design of PowerPoint presentations. In this experiment student participants heard either a complete lecture at once or the same lecture interrupted by memory testing, the lecture itself delivered at a slow or fast pace, and both combinations of these variables accompanied by either detailed or briefly outlined PowerPoint slides.